Over the past few months, I’ve noticed an important timing trend while working with our Microsoft Dynamics customers. Often, they approach us with initiatives they want to implement—sometimes with a detailed plan, other times with just a wish list. In both cases, we take the time to engage, understand their needs and requirements, and develop a clear action plan that guides them toward their ultimate goals.
We are finding a potential challenge in this practice is that the customer typically has pre-selected a go-live date, which has some special significance in their business cycle, without discussing the process with their implementation partner. This becomes an issue as the customer does not realize or thoroughly understand all of the steps needed to prepare for a successful go live. Our job as software professionals and account managers is to educate our prospects and customers about these stages and their anticipated timetables early in the planning cycle, helping to minimize headaches down the line. We have to be able to show the value of engaging the partner earlier in the process, as it could lead to a lower overall project cost and hitting a go-live milestone instead of pushing one back.
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One way to look at this which has been successful for some of our customers, is to look at the timeline in reverse. First, we determine your requested go live date. Then we list the high-level steps required to get there. Next, we put estimated time frames on each step which we have generated from our experience with similar projects and customers. Finally, we pencil in dates starting with the pre-sales discovery. This plan guides us through a successful execution. The list might look something like this for a new Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation:
Ultimately, these numbers will vary based on the size of your organization, number of locations, and departments, but they are a good barometer of what to expect from a mid-market Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation. Note, that if you are transitioning from an on premise infrastructure to Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Microsoft Azure, additional planning time should be added.
With all the recent Microsoft announcements surrounding the Dynamics 365 platform (which combines Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM into one solution, named Dynamics 365 for Operations) and Dynamics NAV 2017, there are a lot of decision points to be made in the discovery process. Give yourself enough time to speak and plan with your technology partners for the best chance of meeting your go-live date and important milestones.
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The earlier your implementation partner is involved, the more they can help steer you in the right direction and ensure each stage of the process is properly executed.
Timing can make or break your implementation success. By planning strategically and setting realistic expectations, you’ll position your business for smoother projects and better outcomes. If you’d like guidance or support with your next initiative contact one of our experts to get that discussion started.
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